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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · pitch · pitcher · firm · lean · calf · branch · straw

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. firm — a company
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. branch — a division
  13. firm — steady
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. firm — decided
  16. lean — thin
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. chest — a box
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pitch — completely
  23. chest — of your body
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com